It was an extremely disappointing game for Northwestern men’s basketball.
In a contest where they had a nine-point lead in the second half, the Wildcats struggled down the stretch and lost a game that the team
needed as a win.
For the ‘Cats, Nick Martinelli led the way with 32 points and eight rebounds on 10-for-16 shooting. Angelo Ciaravino and Arrinten Page were both in double figures, scoring 14 and 13, respectively.
As for the visiting Buckeyes, Brandon Noel paced the team with 29 points and seven rebounds. The senior was also 13-for-15 from the field. Bruce Thornton also had a strong game with 17 points and 10 assists.
After OSU’s Christoph Tilly won the jump, John Mobley Jr. got the scoring started with a lay-in for the Buckeyes before Nick Martinelli responded with two of his own. The teams continued their hot starts as Bruce Thornton put in two, and Jordan Clayton knocked down a three. A few scoreless possessions followed, but Angelo Ciaravino ended the short drought with a layup. Following a few Buckeyes’ scores, Arrinten Page started to get going with a put-back dunk and a midrange. The score was 15-13 after the first five and a half minutes, and both teams were struggling to get stops.
Out of the timeout, Page found Martinelli for a layup to continue the hot offensive start. Martinelli then stole the ball and slammed in a dunk before Mobley got a generous roll on a three-pointer. Next, Colin White checked in for the Buckeyes and quickly got on the board with a layup, giving OSU a 20-19 lead heading into the under-12.
Martinelli made both free throws out of the break, and NU regained a one-point lead. The Buckeyes quickly responded with an Amare Bynum three and a White dunk after Jake West committed a questionable turnover. OSU was on a 13-2 run and took a six-point advantage after Bynum drained a jumper.
A few possessions later, Jayden Reid was knocked down and had to exit the game. Page ended the Buckeyes’ run with a lay-in, but Mobley came back on the other end with a floater. The teams continued to trade points as Martinelli made two free throws and drilled a three. OSU responded with Gabe Cupps making a trey and Brandon Noel finishing a lay-up. With six minutes left in the first half, Ohio State had a 34-30 lead.
The ‘Cats gave up three straight offensive rebounds after the stoppage as Noel tapped in a putback. Reid got his first two of the game on a layup, but Thornton made a fast break layup to bring the deficit to six for Northwestern. Martinelli continued his great offensive start, battling on the offensive glass, as he made an and-one putback and brought his point total to 17 on the day.
The senior converted the free throw from the and-one, cutting the lead to 38-35. After a stop, K.J. Windham drained a three, but Bynum responded with an alley-oop dunk. Continuing the hot shooting, Clayton and Windham both drilled their second triples of the game on the next few possessions, and NU took a four-point lead. On the other end, Tilly picked up an offensive foul, his third of the game, and Northwestern took a 44-40 lead into halftime.
Martinelli had a phenomenal first frame, shooting 6-for-10 from the field with 18 points and six rebounds. Page was the next highest scorer with eight points on an efficient 4-for-6. Northwestern as a team was 50% from the field and 41.7% from three. The team had 10 assists on 16 made field goals and eight offensive boards. Ohio State shot 58.1% on field goals, an astonishing number considering it trailed at halftime. Noel led OSU with 10 points and four rebounds. Surprisingly, after the rebounding struggles by NU throughout the season, the ‘Cats had a 17-12 edge on the glass.
Following the halftime intermission, Ciaravino soared in for two huge dunks to bring the lead to eight. Thornton responded with a layup, and Noel ran the floor for a dunk of his own. Martinelli stopped the quick run with a floater, and he already had 20 points by the early second half. Reid converted two free throws, but Thornton floated in two more. Ciaravino slammed in another dunk, and Northwestern took a 54-46 lead into the under-16 stoppage.
Out of the timeout, Bynum made an alley-oop layup, and Reid swished a trey. OSU quickly came back on the other end with an and-one lay-in by Noel and a Thornton floater. Martinelli responded with a floater, and NU’s lead was back to seven. Noel continued his hot scoring effort with a layup, and Thornton made two free throws at the line. Martinelli swished two free throws of his own, but Thornton scored two more with a layup. The teams were trading points once again, and the ‘Cats held a 61-58 lead with 11:52 remaining.
Noel made another layup after a defensive miscommunication out of the under-12. The lead was down to one, but Windham drew a charge to give NU the ball back. Noel then gave OSU the lead for the first time since the first half as Page made another defensive error. Northwestern took a timeout, looking to regroup.
With under 10 minutes left, both teams were sloppy with turnovers. Bynum gave OSU a three-point lead with a layup before Page erased it with a triple. The teams headed to the under-eight timeout, deadlocked at 64.
After the stoppage, Noel drained two free throws and made a fastbreak layup. Northwestern struggled on the offensive end, going over three minutes without scoring, and OSU held a four-point lead with six minutes left. Martinelli ended the drought with a lay-in, but Ciaravino committed a flagrant foul on the other end. Thornton made one-of-two free throws as Ohio State’s lead was 69-66. Royal converted a floater, and the teams went to a timeout with Reid shooting free throws on the other side of the stoppage.
With 4:18 remaining, Reid made both free throws, but Royal responded with a lay-in. Windham shot a floater of his own, and NU needed a stop. The team couldn’t get it and Noel made an and-one. Martinelli came back on the other end with a triple, and the score was 76-73. Noel scored two more, and the Buckeyes’ lead was five. Royal drained a triple, and Northwestern took a timeout trailing by eight.
Page slammed in a dunk out of the stoppage, keeping NU’s faint hopes alive. The ‘Cats had a strong defensive possession, and Ciaravino feathered in a layup to cut the lead to four with 1:05 remaining. Royal was fouled on the other end and converted one free throw. Ciaravino grabbed an offensive rebound and made another lay-in, and Northwestern called a timeout, trailing by three with 39 seconds left.
Out of the timeout, Northwestern got a steal, and Martinelli was fouled. The senior made both free throws, and the lead was down to one. The ‘Cats went for another steal but fouled Thornton, who knocked down both. Martinelli went to the line once again with 19 seconds left and missed the first. OSU got the rebound, and Tilly made one-of-two. Reid missed a three on the other end, and Tilly hit one more free throw. Martinelli was fouled on the other end and made one attempt. The time ran out, and OSU picked up an 86-82 win.
The ‘Cats will be back in action next Saturday against Jackson State. The game is set for 1:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
